Taken For Granted
by danz03
Summary: Sakura and Syaoran are best friends, however, Syaoran had this annoying habit of not apologizing whenever he had committed mistakes..maybe he thought it was okay because it was Sakura and she'll forgive him anyway, but what if, Sakura becomes fed up?
1. Chapter 1

**Taken For Granted**

**danz03**

**A/N: Hi, guys! I hope you'll all like this… Reviews please…**

**Chapter One**

Sakura Kinomoto was walking hurriedly down the third floor corridor. She had just heard the 5 o'clock bell and she needed to catch up with someone. The hallway was already deserted and so, she decided to run down the flight of stairs. She gripped her books tightly to her chest and ran down. A couple of steps were left for her to take when she lost her footing and started falling. Luckily, her fall was broken by a hard chest and they toppled down together. Sakura flinched when one of her elbows scraped the floor. It started throbbing and stinging but she was in such a hurry that she ignored it.

"You okay?" the guy to whom she had bumped into asked. He had already stood up and was extending a hand down to help her up. The voice was quite familiar and her heart rate had increased considerably. That reaction was exclusively for someone – and that someone happened to be her crush! She swallowed with difficulty before looking up, into the handsome face of Egan Higgins, the MVP of the Basketball team. She accepted the extended hand and he pulled her up easily, his strength visible.

"Yeah, I guess so…" she lied, flinching inwardly due to the pain on her elbow.

"No broken bones?" Egan asked, flashing his charming smile.

She didn't realize that she was staring and it was a moment before she caught herself.

"You sure, you're okay? You look quite flushed…" he commented, his charming face creased in honest concern.

"Yeah, I'm sure!" her voice was unusually high pitched in her own ears, so she took a deep, calming breath, looking away from Egan's gentle gaze 'cause it was making her a nervous wreck.

"Uhhh…anyways, got to go! See you!" she called, running away in total embarrassment.

xxx

"That… was the worst game I have played in my entire life!" came an annoyed voice.

"Calm down, Syao. It's not the end of the world yet…" a calm voice tried to reason out.

"You want me to calm down?!" came his outrage, facing his team mates, "We lost by a point, for crying out loud! We could have tied it up if someone hadn't been careless!" his tone was increasing.

"Sorry…" came a low voice.

"It wasn't anybody's fault, Syao! And besides, it's still a practice game!" another spoke. He had caught Syao's annoyance.

"Damn it! I'm off here!" Syao announced in frustration, walking away from the group.

Syaoran Li wiped his sweaty face with a towel, sitting on one of the bleachers that surrounded the school field. His mind was a total mess, that's why he had snapped at the others. The championship was already near and as the soccer team's captain, all the responsibilities landed on him and the pressure was making him short-tempered. His thoughts was cut short when he saw Sakura, going to his direction with a care-free smile. He groaned inwardly and tried to contain his temper.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he demanded, unable to control his tone. At this, Sakura raised a delicate brow.

"What's with the temper?" she was so calm and composed when she asked the question but her tone was one that dripped with sarcasm.

"Just answer the question!" he ordered in annoyance, hating the knowing glint in Sakura's emerald eyes. At this, Sakura's face brightened and she smiled sweetly…

"Walk me home?" she asked, "Please?" she added with a childish smile.

"Damn it!" he spat out quietly.

"Hey!" Sakura was affronted with his cursing and it brought a frown on her lips.

"It's after 5, for crying out loud! It will be dark in a few more minutes and you want me to walk you home..?" he was frustrated but at the same time incredulous.

"Yes." She answered simply.

"Great! Just great!" he groaned in exasperation, packing his things in his bag.

"So, you're walking me home?" she was eager and enthusiastic, smiling widely and expectantly.

Syaoran glanced at her expectant face before placing one strap of his back pack on a shoulder.

"No…" he announced firmly, facing her seriously.

Sakura's smiling expression dropped into a confused one.

"But – " she was unable to finish the sentence when she saw Syaoran's determined look. She bit her lower lip, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Fine!" she snapped angrily, "but if something bad happens to me, it'll be your entire fault!" then she walked away without looking back.

Syaoran stared at Sakura's back in exasperation, letting out his temper by inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"'Ey, wait up!" he called as he ran to catch up with her. But she didn't stop, instead she ignored him.

"'Ey!" he said, grabbing Sakura's wrist firmly but gently. He dropped her wrist when he saw her flinch.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, facing her. Sakura smiled at him sheepishly and guiltily when he saw her abrasion on her elbow.

"You have a wound but you didn't bother to tell me?" came Syaoran's cautious inquiry, looking at her in disbelief.

"Sorry…" was her sheepish answer. Syaoran crossed his arms on his chest, giving her a reproachful look.

"I kinda forgot 'cause… hey, guess what!" she beamed when she remembered what had happened earlier.

Syaoran raised a brow, prompting her to continue.

"A while ago, I fell down the stairs but luckily, Egan was there and I bumped on him – literally – so the fall wasn't that dangerous because Egan broke my fall." She finished with a giggle and a wide smile.

Syaoran frowned at Sakura's narration. "You ran down the stairs, I bet…" came his quiet statement, ignoring her story about Egan.

"Yeah… how'd you know?" she asked innocently.

"How careless can you get?!" he exploded in disbelief.

"Not to worry… Egan broke my fall, didn't he?" she tried to explain.

"But still! You could have been seriously hurt!"

"Syao?!" it was Sakura's turn to be exasperated.

"Damn!" he hissed, dropping the subject, "So, Egan's the reason why you forgot about your wound." He stated dryly.

"He's so cute!" Sakura shrieked and gushed, "And mind you, he was even concerned."

"Whatever." He let her gushing pass with a shrug as they started walking.

xxx

"I'm going to murder you for this, Syao!" Sakura shrieked as the nurse dabbed a cotton ball with alcohol on her scrape.

Syaoran had tricked her into going to the clinic. Syaoran was unable to answer because he was laughing uncontrollably. He was sitting opposite her and she was gripping one of his hands. Every time the nurse was going to clean her abrasion with cotton of alcohol, she was going to grip his hand tight, eyes shut and face screwed up. When the bandaging was finished, they left the clinic with a frowning Sakura and an amused Syaoran. They arrived infront of Sakura's house after the sun had already set. Sakura leaped to the porch, stuck out her tongue at him before going in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Taken For Granted**

**danz03**

**A/N: Hey, guys! Chapter 2 is up… Hope you'll enjoy this… Reviews will be very much appreciated… :D **

**Chapter 2**

One Friday afternoon, Penguin Park was swarming with students from the schools surrounding it. Sakura was with her girl friends, sitting on the grassy land, watching the other strollers as well as their school mates who were skate boarding – mostly the guys.

"Egan is so cute…" Sakura sighed dreamily, watching him who was with the other skaters.

"Syaoran's much cuter…" came her friend's counter. Her friend, Rika, was also watching the group, particularly Syaoran.

"Syaoran is short-tempered not like Egan who is so patient and kind…" Sakura countered in defense of Egan.

"Whatever. But I fancy Syaoran more…" Rika announced dreamily.

"Guys…?" their fantasies were interrupted by the complaining voice.

"Huh?" Sakura asked, pulling her gaze from Egan reluctantly and Rika followed. They looked at Tomoyo inquiringly.

"You weren't listening, were you?" she accused with a grin of amusement.

"Do you have to ask the obvious, Tomoyo?" came Chiharu's mirth.

"Anyways, as I was saying… they're here." Tomoyo announced wryly, looking at the Park's entrance. They followed her gaze and saw a large group of students from their arch-rival school. They entered and bullied the little kids into leaving the swings.

"They're such bullies." Chiharu commented quietly, shaking her head.

"Look at what they're doing to the kids!" came Tomoyo's outraged voice as she watched a guy snatch one of the kids' chips.

"Trouble's brewing." Rika whispered near Sakura's ear. She had noticed that Syaoran had clenched his hands and was advancing to the newcomers' direction.

"Damn his temper!" Sakura hissed, bolting up and running to where he was. She caught up with him before he could step on their opponent's territory. She was gripping his arm so he stopped his advance and looked at her, eyes blazing with silent fury.

"Forget it!" she hissed quietly, meeting his furious gaze.

"I just can't stand here and watch them terrorize the kids!" he said through gritted teeth.

"Syao?" her voice had become pleading.

"He's coming…" a voice from behind them whispered. They turned and realized that all their school mates were already behind them. When they looked at the other side, their nemeses were approaching. She felt Syaoran's body tense and she reached for his hand and held it. She felt him grip it tight that she could have sworn that her bones there cracked but she didn't say anything, just looked at the approaching group. They stopped a few meters from them and one student came forward. It was Archer Fentom, the MVP of that school's soccer team. He was smirking smugly as he studied Syaoran.

"Got any problem?" Archer asked in amusement, eyes mocking.

"Nothing." Sakura spoke up, trying to tug Syaoran away who was obviously itching to punch Archer's arrogant face.

"Scared, Kinomoto?" he sneered, looking at Sakura smugly.

"You wish!" Sakura retorted, her usually care-free eyes becoming icy cold and deadly.

Syaoran removed his hand from hers and pushed her to stand behind him, a protective gesture. At this, Archer howled with laughter while the others sneered and smirked.

"What's so funny?" the sarcastic inquiry came from Egan who had stepped forward, his usual friendly aura became foreboding. Everyone was alert, waiting for the other to make a wrong move. The air was full of tension.

"Ah… Higgins…" Archer smirked at him, "Trying to play as the Knight in Shining Armor again?" he mocked.

"How's the bruises we gave you last week?" someone from behind Archer mocked and the others howled with laughter. Sakura noticed that Syaoran's and Egan's hands were already clenched.

Any minute now… she thought as she steeled herself.

"You want another round?" Archer challenged, laughing.

Then suddenly… PACK! Archer staggered backwards. Syaoran had punched him hard and it seemed as if he'd broken his nose because it was bleeding. Archer's friends had caught him before he hit the ground.

"Why, you!" Archer yelled and a fist fight ensued.

No one was spared.

xxx

"Now, I'll be sporting a lot of bruises. Weekends are supposed to be fun…" Sakura complained as she and Syaoran walked down the sidewalk towards Sakura's home. Her body was sore all over and her uniform was dirty. She had acquired more than a dozen of bruises on hr legs, arms and her face – to her annoyance.

Syaoran on the other hand, was also sore all over. His brown hair was mussed and his white polo looked like shit, that's why he removed it and was only wearing his shirt which was a bit dirty. His black pants even have smudges of dirt on all places. Like Sakura, he had also acquired dozens of bruises but his were worse compared to Sakura's because his opponent was Archer and two other guys.

"I already told you a hundred times to stay out of the fight but you wouldn't listen." Syaoran informed her dryly as he touched the aching pain on his lower lip. When he realized there was a cut, he cursed quietly, raking his already unruly brown hair.

"Why did you have to start the fight, anyway?!" Sakura argued annoyingly as she tried to untangle the tangles of hair that her opponent had done.

"He was getting on my nerves!" he informed her with an edge of impatience.

"That much was obvious. But still, you shouldn't have punched him first!" she insisted, tugging her long auburn hair, starting to lose her patience because of the stubborn tangles.

"Damn!" she cursed as she surrendered her struggle with the stubborn tangles.

"Let me do that." he offered when he saw her annoyed look.

They stopped walking and Sakura turned her back on him so that he'll have better access to her hair. He started untangling it but it was so much harder than he'd expected. He let out a huge, audible sigh to contain his growing temper.

"Hand me your comb." came his brisk order. Sakura complied. He ran the comb on the tangles. It stuck but he forced it down.

"Ouch!" Sakura protested when she felt her scalp prickle.

Syaoran cursed silently then held the back of her head to prevent her from following the comb's descent. After a few moments of painful struggle, Syaoran managed to smooth the tangles. Then he combed her long hair gently to make it presentable before he returned the comb to her.

"Thanks!" she announced gratefully when she faced him, giving him a wide smile which made him grin wryly.

"Whatever." He shook off her grateful thanks with a shrug, feeling awkward at being thanked.


	3. Chapter 3

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: Hey, guys! Here's chapter 3… Hope you enjoy it. Reviews please… :D **

**Chapter 3**

"How dirty can both of you get!?" came the outraged exclamation of Nadeshiko, Sakura's mother, who stared at them in shock and surprise. They were standing in the middle of the kitchen, presenting their dirty selves to the older woman.

"Hi, Ma." Sakura greeted, giving her a sheepish look after she had kissed her cheek in greeting. Syaoran was trying to hold the bubble of laughter that threatened to escape him when he saw Sakura's expression.

"Stop smirking, young man." Nadeshiko chastised him, giving him a stern look and he complied immediately, trying very hard to present a straight and penitent face.

"You two are in heaps of trouble! Go to your room, young woman and take a shower." Nadeshiko addressed Sakura then she turned to Syaoran, "And you, young man, use the shower room adjacent to Touya's room and take a shower. Now, go. I'll deal with you both later." came her firm order. They immediately followed, walking out of the kitchen. When they were already out of earshot, they burst out laughing. They were still laughing while treading the stairs and when they arrived on top, the first door to the right snapped open.

"Wicked!" came a childish voice from the door. They turned and saw a group of kids – Sakura's cousins. The one who spoke, Yuu, was staring at them with mischief glowing in his eyes.

"Where's the fight?" the one with raven black hair inquired, hazel eyes full of unconcealed admiration and hero-worship.

"The Park." Syaoran answered with a grin as they walked towards the kids.

"Cool!" Yuu exclaimed, gray eyes shining with admiration as well. Syaoran ruffled the boy's hair playfully before turning to Hikari, the youngest of Sakura's cousins and the only girl.

He knelt infront of her and she kissed his cheek.

"Does it hurt?" came Hikari's timid voice, caressing the bruise on one of Syaoran's cheeks. Syaoran flinched inwardly but he smiled at her.

"Not much." He lied.

"So, d'you miss me?" Sakura interrupted, looking at Hikari with a wide smile.

"Of course, I did!" Hikari announced, going to her direction. Sakura knelt down and the two hugged.

"Thanks." Sakura saw Syaoran mouth the words. She smiled at him in understanding. Then, the two girls broke apart.

"Aren't you going to treat those wounds?" Hikari inquired.

"Oops! Forgot! Thanks for the reminder." Sakura announced sheepishly.

"Okay. We'll wash up. Why don't you go inside and continue playing while we're gone? We'll just join you after…" came Syaoran's suggestion.

"Okay!" the kids agreed and ran inside the room from where they came from.

xxx

"Ouch!" Sakura shrieked in pain as her mother dabbed her wounds with a cotton of alcohol. She pulled her arm away and shook it because it was stinging.

"Hold still!" her mother reprimanded, grabbing her arm and holding it firmly. They were in the living room and she had to endure the pain and her cousin's, as well as Syaoran's, taunting and chuckles.

"There! Good as new!" Nadeshiko announced after a moment.

"Yeah, right." Sakura grumbled as she left her seat. Her face was screwed up in pain as she nursed her treated wounds. She went infront of the huge mirror on the wall and studied her face. She tucked her tongue at the inside of her cheek. Her lower lip was swollen and there was a small cut, visible due to the medicine. Her eyes were starting to color beautifully. She groaned and returned to the sofa, frowning heavily.

"What's with the frown, my Cherry Blossom?" came Syaoran's unmistakable drawl. His tone was laced with knowledge and amusement.

"Scared that dear old Egan's going to see that horrible sight?" he guessed correctly.

"Shut up, little wolf!" If you have reigned in your temper, this wouldn't have happened!" she snapped annoyingly.

"Don't worry, Egan's in a worse fix than you." He assured her with a smirk, then flinched when Nadeshiko dabbed the cotton with alcohol on the cut on his wrist.

"You're all looking for trouble, actually. Why can't you just let them be? They'll tire of it after a while." Came Nadeshiko's piece of advice.

"They've been challenging us for years, Mrs. K. I mean, I can't even remember when but this feud had started the day our school soccer team stopped their successive victories." Syaoran tried to explain to the older woman as he bandaged his bruised knuckles.

"It's been 15 years, actually." Sakura supplied readily.

"How come you know that?" came Syaoran's confusion, looking at her.

"I may hate history, Syao, but that doesn't mean I know nothing." Sakura snapped icily.

"That's not what I meant!" Syaoran retorted, "I want to know where you have gotten such information."

"Well, I read, Syao. If only you've spared a minute to read the school magazines from before." Sakura answered sarcastically.

They glared at each other in quite a long time before Sakura made a face at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter when, how or who started it. That's the past and no one can change it. But now, the present is what matters. You can put a stop on this long-time feud if you put your minds on it." Nadeshiko continued as if there was no pause. It's not as if she didn't notice the two throwing icy glares at each other from time to time but because it might worsen. She successfully treated Syaoran's wounds so she gathered and arranged the things inside the first aid kit, leaving them. The kids just ignored their verbal battle because they were so engrossed with the cartoons on television.


	4. Chapter 4

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: Here's Chapter 4… Sorry for the delay… Hope you enjoy this… Reviews please.. :D**

**Chapter 4**

"Wow! Is that the new look of the Millennium? The battered look?" came their teacher's amusement as he surveyed the swollen faces of his students.

"Sensei?!" they groaned their complaint and he grinned.

"So, you had another row with them, hadn't you?" he guessed.

"It was their fault!" a student from the back announced.

"Yeah!" came the chorus of agreement.

"So, how come all of the class are involved?" he inquired, studying the swollen faces of each student.

"We were hanging out in the park and they came, acting as if they owned the place." Their class president, Lea, announced indignantly.

"Who started the fist fight?" at the question, every single student became silent, looking at each other awkwardly.

"I did!" came Syaoran's quiet submission. Their teacher studied Syaoran's bruised face before shaking his head, "Lost your temper again?" he asked with an understanding smile.

"That was revenge, Teach. They got us the other week." Syaoran tried to justify his act. Their teacher just sighed in resignation, shaking his head.

"I won't report this to the director in one condition…" he trailed off, watching the hopeful faces of his class. Almost everyone was sporting a black eye and broken lip.

"No one in this class is going to make any trouble again, understand?" he continued, watching the students' outraged and bewildered expressions.

"But, Sensei?! What if they start it?" came a question.

"Ignore them or walk away, if you must. Just avoid any trouble." He answered a matter-of-factly.

"That's the coward's way out!" came an indignant comment.

"The championship is near. I don't want any of the players to be suspended." He explained, "Especially you, Li." He added, looking at Syaoran pointedly.

"But, sir! We're not usually the ones who start the fights, it's them!" another student tried to reason out.

"He's right, sir. We can never avoid it. We can't stand the presence of one another in one place." Another agreed.

"Then, I advice that you stay away from Penguin Park to avoid trouble." He said in his most reasonable tone. Many objections arose.

"Okay… How about this? If you really want to be in trouble, do it after the game. For now, stay away from that place. It's just only after the game, deal?" his tone was already firm. The students agreed grudgingly.

"Don't worry…the students in the other sections can do the fighting." Came a quiet whisper but the teacher heard it because he was within earshot.

"You mean, the other sections are also involved in this?" came his incredulous inquiry. Some of the students nodded.

"Not only them, sir. Also the lower years…" a voice informed him.

"We told you, they annoy anyone who studies in this school." Another one piped in.

"This is getting out of hand…" he muttered, then, "But our deal holds and I'll do th same with the others." He announced with finality.

xxx

"The deal stinks!" came Dar's, a soccer player's, indignation.

"Yeah. The deal's going to give them power over us!" Ren, another soccer player, complained, hands clenched in silent fury. The whole soccer team was having a meeting on the field. Everyone was upset about the new law that had been imposed, although the director had no idea about it. They were sitting in a circle on the grassy field, under the scorching heat of the sun.

"Guys, I know it's unfair but sensei was right. It's better that we have this rule so that none of us will be suspended." Came Syaoran's quiet voice. He looked at his team mates' faces.

"I, for one, will try to contain my temper." He announced, grinning wryly at the irony of his announcement. His statement elicited a silent chuckle from each of his mates.

"To get back at them, we have to beat them in the Championships." Eriol, one of their MVPs, told the others, his expression sober.

"Yeah, that's right!" Yu, their goalie, agreed readily.

"So, do we have a deal that no one's going to the Park alone or otherwise inorder to avoid trouble?" Syaoran asked, looking at each of their determined faces. They nodded.

"Only after the game." Came Dar's impish statement, grinning malevolently. The others muttered their agreement, grinning while the rest smirked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: Chapter 5 is here… Reviews please… Thanks! :D**

**Chapter 5**

"Damn them! They're taking advantage of the situation." Came Syaoran's fury when he heard the news that Wednesday morning. A teammate had just been beaten up because he didn't fight back and he'd forbidden his friends to fight. Their teammate was admitted to the hospital for a broken leg.

"Look where that stinking rule got us into? We're in a tight place!" Yu's anger matched Syaoran's. Everyone was upset with the news but they were helpless.

"How did they know that we're not allowed to fight back?" came Dar's confusion.

"They didn't know until yesterday when Tsubasa and the others didn't fight back." Their reporter informed them.

"We'll have to be doubly careful…" came Eriol's suggestion. His usually reserved countenance was tensed with contained fury.

xxx

"Sensei! Look at what happened to Tsubasa because of our deal?" came Syaoran's outrage at the start of the class. The buzzing in the room ceased as they waited for their teacher's reaction. He had circles around his eyes and he seemed weary.

"I'm really sorry, guys, but the director got wind up with what's happening. He told us that any student caught causing trouble would be suspended right away and the players would be banned from the game." Came their teacher's explanation.

"But, aren't we supposed to defend ourselves?" came Keith's inquiry.

"Yes, you can defend yourself but who would know that you weren't the one who started the fight? They can report you to the director and you'll be suspended right away." Their teacher tried to make them understand. There was a heavy silence as they contemplated the situation.

"Sir, is there no way to stop this growing feud?" came Sakura's quiet inquiry. She was looking at their teacher almost pleadingly. The others looked at their teacher, waiting for an answer. He raked his already unruly dark hair in frustration.

"I'll try to talk to their coach." He finally announced after a moment of silence.

"But, under the circumstances, I want all of you to go home immediately after class hours, understand?" he asked them.

"Yes, sir." They murmured quietly, shaking their heads in helplessness.

xxx

What's happening? Why was Eriol called by the director?" came Syaoran's confusion when Eriol stood up from his seat and proceeded out of the room after his name was called by their teacher. His face was passive, jaw taut. The buzzing of the class increased.

"Look at Tomoyo." Yamazaki told him, tilting his head at Tomoyo's direction. She was surrounded by her girlfriends, including Sakura. Syaoran peered through the gap between two students and he saw Tomoyo crying.

"What happened?" Syaoran demanded worriedly.

"A while ago, while the two of them were returning from lunch, a couple of *Benson students blocked them and grabbed her." Yamazaki started, dark eyes becoming hard, together with his voice.

"Eriol tried to get her back without a fight but they shoved him away while pulling Tomoyo's hair down. She struggled but they were stronger and Eriol couldn't fight for fear of suspension but when they had started really hurting her, I guess he exploded because he attacked the two." Yamazaki finished quietly.

"And…?" Syaoran prompted, trying to hold his temper.

"The two immediately reported it to the guard."

"Damn them!" he cursed, punching his table angrily. It made a loud sound, making the students turn to his direction.

"I think they're trying to get him suspended." Came Dar's observation.

"Not only him, I'm sure. Any player is next and they'll target the ones we care to blow our temper. I mean, we don't care much really if we're the ones who are hurt but once the people we care about are dragged into this and are hurt because of this, I'm not sure about you guys, but I really am going to murder them for that." Yu said quietly, hands clenched tightly.

"This is getting dirtier and dirtier everyday." Yamazaki stated, a worried crease visible on his forehead.

"They just try and hurt my sister, I really am going to cripple them! I won't even care if I get suspended!" came Keith's angry threat.

"That's what they're hoping to accomplish. We just have to take it without retaliating. We have no choice." Came Syaoran's quiet announcement.

"But, Syoa?! My sister's welfare is much more important than any dumb sport!" Keith argued heatedly.

"I know." He muttered absent-mindedly. His thoughts had turned to Sakura. He was looking for ways to make her safe 'cause he knew his weakness.

"Just take precautions. Make sure that any person connected to us is safe. We must not leave them alone." Came Syaoran's determined announcement. The others nodded in understanding.

"Miss Daidouji?" called their teacher from the room's threshold. They watched her dry her tears and stand up before walking out. Silence enveloped the room as they watched her walk out, scratches visible on the fair skin of her face and arms. Then, the bell shattered the silence. Lunch was over.

xxx

"Miss Daidouji…is it true?" came the director's inquiry. Tomoyo was sitting on the chair just infront of the director and opposite the quiet Eriol. The teachers concerned were in the room, sitting on the extra chairs.

"Y-yes." She managed to answer while trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall. Although she knew that she was already safe, she was still shaken at what had happened. After her answer, a tense silence followed. She looked at Eriol and she saw the battle in his eyes, the battle to control his temper, although his face revealed nothing. His hands were even clenched tightly.

"I see." Came the director's comment.

"Don't you believe us? Isn't these scratches enough as an evidence?!" Tomoyo demanded, showing the director the fresh scratches she had gotten from the two students.

"I didn't say that…" he sighed then turned to Eriol who was staring at Tomoyo's wounds fiercely.

"Next time, try to hold back, okay? I know you were provoked but acting on your anger won't help you. It's only going to make them the victor." He advised gently.

"Easy for you to say." He muttered darkly.

The director heaved a deep sigh.

"Okay, return to your room now." He dismissed them, ignoring Eriol's dark mutter, totally understanding the emotion behind it.

When the two were already out of the office, the director turned to the teachers, "Inform the other staff and personnel, we'll have an emergency meeting."

xxx

"How was it?" Syaoran asked the moment Eriol sat down. The guys had gathered around him.

"He didn't suspend me. He just warned me from them." Eriol said quietly. His eyes were piercing and deadly, hands clenched.

"What did they do?" Yamazaki inquired warily because his information was lacking.

"They were twisting her arms and pulling her hair, worst, they pushed her down the dirt and dragged her like a rag doll. She was in pain, damn it! I told them to let her go but they wouldn't. I was already seeing red and I wanted to murder them. I acted on that urge and attacked them. I think I broke their noses." His voice was hard and edgy, hands clenched tightly on top of his desk.

"That'll teach them not to mess with a black belter." Came Yu's joke to lighten up the tension. They chuckled quietly.

"Anyway, now that we know their game, we're warned. They won't succeed next time." Syaoran announced and they nodded their agreement.

"I didn't know Tomoyo's that important to you, Eriol." Yu teased and this elicited a light blush from Eriol which they noticed.

"No way!" they gasped in disbelief.

xxx

"You okay?" came Sakura's concern when Tomoyo sat down on her chair.

"Yeah. I guess so." Tomoyo answered rather calmly and quietly as her girlfriends surrounded her. She took a deep breath to steady herself and blew it out slowly.

"How's Eriol?" came Lea's concerned inquiry. Tomoyo glanced at where Eriol was, surrounded by his guy friends, then back at her friends.

"He's still mad. He almost killed those two guys. I was unable to calm him. His eyes were wild, not like the usual serene ones. I didn't know what happened to him back there." Tomoyo narrated, confusion evident in her tone. Her hands had clenched on her desk and Sakura covered them with hers reassuringly.

"Don't confuse yourself any further, Tomoyo…" Sakura told her with a slight smile and a knowing glint in her emerald eyes.

"What do you mean?" Tomoyo looked up at Sakura.

"You'll find it out soon… I promise." Sakura assured her friend.

~ Why haven't we noticed it before? Eriol loves her in a complicated kind of way… ~ came Sakura's train of thoughts.

"Don't worry, Tomoyo. It's not going to happen again." Rika assured her. They heard the guys' laughter and turned to look at them.

xxx

"Guys! Can I have your attention please?" Syaoran announced, standing infront of the whole class. The students looked at him and the others who were not on their chairs, returned to their seats.

"The situation is way out of hand and drastic measures are needed." He stated when his classmates had quieted. His voice rang in the room firmly.

"What do you suggest, Syao?" came Kirk's inquiry. This guy was the richest kid in the whole school, second to Tomoyo, but he was no snob.

"I'm open to any suggestions." Syaoran announced, looking around the thoughtful faces of his classmates.

"Syao? I think we need to inform everyone about this. Every section and year level." Came Sakura's suggestion.

"She's right. We're not the only ones in danger. All students in this school are." Their class secretary, Miki, agreed.

"Okay, then." He agreed, calling the names of a few students and asking them to tell the other sections and year levels about the plan, then they left to do their task.

"Any suggestions?" he looked around expectantly.

"How about if we go home by group?" one suggested from the back.

"That won't work because the number of students won't matter. Whether you're alone or not, they'll still attack 'cause who would stop them?" came Tomoyo's stand, her voice mild.

"You've got a point, Tomoyo." The one who suggested agreed.

"How about if we're not going to be around anywhere once their classes will be dismissed?" the girl from the front suggested.

"Yeah, she's right. That's the best way to avoid them." Keith agreed whole-heartedly as he stood up to sit on his desk to see and hear better because he was at the very back.

"How can we pull it through? Their dismissal is only 10 minutes after ours. That's not much time for each of us to get home." Another argued from the back.

"It'll have to be enough…" another murmured.

"What if we ask our dads to fetch us after school and those students whose houses are on the way can hitch a ride..?"

"Yeah, that's a nice suggestion."

"What if our dads are unavailable at that time?" another argued.

"Then, we'll just have to wait for them to fetch us inside the school grounds. I'm sure no *Benson students can come inside the school to wreak havoc."

"Yeah" came the murmurs of agreement.

"So, what's the class's decision?" Syaoran asked after listening to his classmates' suggestions and arguments.

"Anyone who goes for getting our dads to fetch us and all that stuff, raise your arms." Syaoran stated after a few minutes. Almost all of the students raised their hands.

"No need to count then. It's decided." Syaoran nodded in approval.

"Case closed, guys! Thanks for the cooperation."

During their dismissal, the presidents of each classes held a meeting with Syaoran in the school garden. They were seated in a circle and each relayed to the others what their class had decided and they also listened to the others' decisions. They discovered that almost all of the decisions were the same so after conferring, they voted to decide what they will do. All were in favor of asking their dads or anyone to fetch them.

"Okay, we'll announce the agreed decision to our classmates tomorrow." Syaoran announced after the voting.

"Okay." The others murmured their agreement and the session was closed.

**A/N: Guys, the rival school's name was just a random name 'cause I have no idea what to name the rival school… :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Taken For Granted**

**Chapter 6**

Sakura was walking home that afternoon, passing Penguin Park. It was almost dusk because there had been an emergency meeting about the next issue of their school magazine. She needed to be there because she was the editor-in-chief although she knew that Syaoran would be furious once he'll find out that she went home alone and late.

Syaoran had surprisingly become protective of her – to her complete annoyance because he would always walk her home and he wouldn't even allow her to walk by herself. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard some distant voices from somewhere in the park. She hesitated but her curiosity got the better of her so she investigated. She moved stealthily towards the voices. The voices became audible when she got closer. The voices came from behind the bushes. She parted a part of it and peeked through it quietly.

"What do you think you're doing with them?" came Archer's surprisingly angry voice. His raven black hair was mussed up and his forest-green eyes were dangerous as he pinned those eyes at the two burly guys wearing the Benson uniform.

"This is none of your business, Archer." Came the gruff reply of the burly guy who was twisting the arms of a young guy.

Sakura squinted her eyes to get a better look at the guy. To her horror, she realized that it was a freshman from her school.

"Come on. Let him go." Came a pleading voice. Sakura shifted slightly and silently to see the person who spoke. It was Kazuma., a freshman and a superb soccer player. His hands were clenched but he was helpless and unable to do anything to help the other guy, whom Sakura realized was Kazuma's cousin.

"Let him go, guys." Came Archer's quiet command.

"Stop interfering, Archer. This is for your own advantage and besides, we have our orders." The other announced as he punched their captive, grinning as if enjoying his task. The captive groaned in pain as he fell down on the dirt, clutching his stomach which was punched.

"Stop it!" Archer hissed, his voice becoming deadly.

"You let him go now!" there was conviction and warning in his tone.

When the two didn't heed his words, he attacked before the two realized what he intended to do. In a flash, their butts landed on the dirt with a THUD.

"What was that all about?" demanded the one who had delivered the punch on the helpless guy.

"We're on your side." The other announced indignantly as he tried to stand up with a stagger, wiping blood from his broken lip, "Darn it!" he hissed.

"We'll win the game without cheating." Came his quiet murmur, hands still clenched and hard eyes directed at his two schoolmates.

"We're just making sure you win." The other informed his as he steadied his footing.

"I want to win the game fair and square. We'll take care of it so stop interfering." His voice held an edge and he was unaware that his right knuckle was bleeding.

"Scram!" Archer ordered firmly and dangerously. The burly guys complied after a couple of angry mutters.

At that time, Sakura stepped out from the other side of the bush she was hidden and looked at her schoolmates. Kazuma was aiding his cousin to stand as she walked to their side.

"You okay?" she asked the other student.

"A little." He lied, flinching and clutching his belly.

"Kazuma?" she turned to the soccer guy and he nodded in understanding.

"I'll take him to the ER and no one's going to hear about this." He assured her because he could read the worry in her emerald orbs. She was worried that if the others were going to know what had happened, they'll explode, especially Syaoran who was already close to the surface and the incident might result to a retaliation which would endanger their chances in the championships.

"I'm sorry." Archer half-whispered as he watched the two Tomoeda guys. The soccer guy, Kazuma, turned to his direction with a wry smile.

"You're not to blame. And besides, you helped us which really surprised me." Kazuma told the guilty guy gently.

"Kazuma's right. You shouldn't be hard on yourself 'cause you might be of the same school but you're not one of them…" came Sakura's friendly assurance, looking at the silent guy. Archer just nodded in acceptance, never looking at Sakura's direction. Kazuma tilted his head at Archer in good bye then turned to Sakura, brown eyes full of concern.

"Go home, Sakura, and take care 'cause Syaoran will damn everything if you become hurt because of this feud." Kazuma's sincere warning made her smile wryly.

"Don't worry." She assured him. Kazuma nodded in contentment before he and his cousin left. Sakura watched the two guys as they walked awkwardly because Kazuma was aiding his cousin who was almost unable to walk. Then, Sakura turned her gaze at Archer and to her astonishment, she realized he was watching her thoughtfully.

Archer watched the lovely and innocent girl with auburn tresses and emerald eyes. The girl he was looking at was totally different from the girl who was etched in his memory. He had always seen her as a tough girl, especially during their confrontations. Her eyes would blaze with silent and contained anger whenever they have confrontations but at the moment, it was full of warmth. He couldn't seem top connect the two images of her.

"Thank you." He heard her whisper gratefully. They were already face-to-face. He shrugged and dropped on the huge rock that was shaped like a bench and sat, elbows propped on her bent knees, his arms hanging freely on the air.

"You're hurt." She voiced out, eyeing his bleeding knuckle.

"None of your business." He muttered, steeling his tone so as to make her leave but he flinched inwardly as he felt its throbbing pain.

Before he realized what was happening, Sakura was already kneeling infront of him, cradling his bleeding knuckle and bandaging it carefully with her kerchief.

"There! It'll contain the bleeding," she announced cheerfully, "but you really need to go to the ER." she finished thoughtfully.

Archer was fascinated at the clear emotions lighting her face but he shook away the distracting thought mentally.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, pulling his hand away from her hold rather brusquely.

"Why am I doing what?" Sakura inquired innocently, confusion crossing her face as she sat beside him on the bench-like rock.

~Darn it! What is wrong with me? Why am I staring at her like some pre-schooler seeing the person he liked! ~ he berated himself as he focused away from his thoughts and into the conversation.

"This!" he answered rather forcefully, indicating the bandaged hand. He was glad he even remembered what she was saying.

"Maybe that's my way of showing my gratitude for what you've done…" she shrugged, looking up at him and then suddenly laughing loudly – so unlady-like.

He raised his brows in surprise and inquiry.

"You should have seen your expression… it was so funny!" she answered his unvoiced question, trying to contain her laughter.

Her laughter annoyed him because of the reason behind it but he couldn't seem to make her stop laughing 'cause the sound of her laughter was refreshing and now he sounds so cliché and gross. He trapped that stupid thought into the darkest and deepest part of his mind.

~Darn mushy self!~ he cursed silently.

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear when she had stopped laughing but when he did and he turned to her, he saw that she was watching her thoughtfully. He was amazed at how fast her expressions and moods could change, as if she had no care of what others were thinking as long as she could show the people what she's feeling.

"Why do you hate us so much?" her question caught him off-guard. He should have expected the question but not coming from her who seemed to hate them, the Benson students, with as much fervor and passion as all of her schoolmates combined.

"Don't you think we should end this? I mean, what's in the past is past and the present is what's important." Sakura's voice was quiet but full of passion and conviction. Her eyes even softened and they acquired a serene, far-away look. She could drown in those emerald irises and not re-surface willingly.

~You're so darn lucky, Li. ~ this comment flew his mind fleetingly and without his permission which made him frown heavily. What was wrong with him?

"But your school, your alumni started it. They cheated on the soccer championship years ago." Archer stated after he was able to form the right answer to her previous statements.

"That's not true. They never cheated." Sakura countered, whipping to his direction. She watched his taut jaw work out his anger. His forest green eyes grew a shade darker.

"They cheated!" he faced her and spat the words in disgust. Sakura shook her head in denial, flinching inwardly at the look in his eyes.

"No… Who told you that?" Sakura's voice was still calm.

"You need not know who, except that it's true!" he snapped.

"It came from the player in the team years ago, didn't it?" she guessed quietly. He didn't give any reaction but he knew Sakura knew that she was right.

~Damn her.~ he muttered, looking away.

"Whoever that person is, he's just mad that our school broke your successive victories. That's why he's spreading that story." She informed his as she stood up and dusted her skirt.

"What are you trying to do? Seduce me to your side?" he challenged as he turned to look at her.

"Seduce? It's a rather strong word for this. And besides, I don't think I'm capable of seducing anyone, anyway." She added the last sentence thoughtfully, disbelief evident on her face. Her expression made him wonder if she was trying to fool him into thinking that she indeed did not know she could seduce anyone to her side but discarded the idea. She was too transparent to fool him like that.

"Whatever." He muttered, standing up and deciding to leave immediately.

"Where you off to?" Sakura called after him.

"Home." He called back in a tone that meant to say, where else? But he didn't turn to look at her as he answered. Then he continued to walk. He only took a couple of steps before he turned back to her and said hesitantly, "Take care. That freshman guy is right, you know. You're the death of Li. I don't want Li to have any excuses not to play so be careful and don't let anyone harm you." His voice was so gentle that it didn't only surprise Sakura but also himself.


	7. Chapter 7

**Taken For Granted**

**Chapter 7**

"Hey, Kingsby!" Masaki, their goalie, called while he was walking down the hallway that lunch time. Masaki jogged to his direction.

"What's up?" Archer asked when Masaki had already caught up with him.

"Coach wants to see you. He's quite mad." Masaki told him uncertainly, studying Archer's guarded expression but he could sense him tense up.

"What happened?" Masaki inquired in concern when he noticed his reaction.

"Some football guys were beating one of the Tomoeda students, trying to get the players into a fight." Archer narrated in a tight voice.

"The Tomoeda seemed to have mellowed down already." Masaki voiced out his observation.

"That's because they'll be suspended once they'll be in a fight." Archer replied quietly as they walked down the stairs.

"That's tough." Masaki commented dryly.

"They have no choice. I heard that Scott was admitted to the hospital after he was beaten to a pulp by an unknown person and Eriol had just received a warning for getting into a fight…" Archer reported in the dangerous quiet of his voice.

"But none of the guys would do such a dirty thing." Masaki argued.

"I know but I have a feeling that the ones responsible aren't a part of our soccer team." Archer voiced out his suspicion.

"Well, anyway, he's in the field… Good luck." Masaki informed him the whereabouts of their coach and they parted.

"Daisuke, leave my students alone." Came Sensei Terrada's tight voice, eyes on the amused man infront of him. They were standing at the empty lot behind Benson High's school building.

"I'm doing nothing to them." Came Daisuke's amusement.

"Don't act so innocent, Daisuke. I know you ordered your students to provoke our players so that they'll be suspended." Sensei Terrada spat out, face red in contained fury.

"You're accusing me without any proofs, Terrada." Daisuke taunted with a smirk.

"Do you still hold a grudge against us because we broke your record of successive wins in the championships?" Terrada inquired warily. At this, Daisuke's eyes filled with unquenched fury.

"You weren't supposed to win at that time! You cheated! You bribed the referee and the judges!" Daisuke shouted with unmasked anger, pointing an accusing finger at Terrada.

"We did and that pissed you off… 'cause we won fair and square even if you cheated!" Terrada's voice was deceptively calm but it contained a controlled fury. He smirked when Daisuke was unable to make a smart comeback.

"We… did nothing of that sort!" Daisuke stammered out.

"Oh, yeah?" it was Terrada's turn to taunt, "How about Shinji Noka? Remember him? You crippled him! You made sure our captain and best striker will be unable to play! You were scared of him!" he finished with a satisfied smile, confident of his conclusions.

"Yes, we did!" Daisuke's annoyance made him reveal the one thing that should have been kept hidden and secret.

"I'm not surprised. You were always a coward." Terrada said quietly, clenching his hands to control his fury. They had suspected as much but his admission, nonetheless, made him so furious. Shinji Noka was not only a best striker because he was also a good friend.

"We were supposed to win… with Shinji out of the picture but why? Why did we lose?" Daisuke's litany was full of anger and he clutched Terrada's shirtfront.

"Shinji's not the only skillful player in our team 'cause every one of us were decent players and we never depended so much on Shinji's skill." Terrada answered, trying to free himself.

"Damn you all!" and he shoved Terrada away before leaving. Terrada let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Archer could feel his heart thumping in anger. His breathing was ragged and he knew why. He unclenched his tight fists.

~He lied to us~ he thought, trying to steady his uneven breathing. He had frozen on the spot he was standing, listening to the argument that had ensued between his coach and a man – a Tomoeda teacher from the looks of his uniform. When he was sure that the two adults had left, he also left, walking towards the soccer field.

From afar, he saw his coach talking to the same burly guys who had attacked the two Tomoeda guys.

~So, it was you.~ he realized.

The moment the school bell rang for dismissal, the dark clouds finally gave way to the large drops of water that had been threatening the land below for hours. It poured down on the Earth relentlessly. Sakura was unaware of this because her mind was so focused on what she was going to do. The moment they were dismissed, she didn't dally. She hastily packed her things and ran out the crowded hallway. Syaoran, who was studying her every move, just stared at her in confusion when she hurried out without any explanations to him.

"No way!" Sakura murmured in disbelief after reading a news clipping dated 15 years ago. She had been inside the library for an hour already, scanning different websites as well as old newspapers in the there for information. What she had discovered, struck her numb. The picture of a handsome guy with raven hair and smiling hazel-brown eyes stared back at her. His name was Shinji Noka, a senior guy who was beaten by an unknown person until he was crippled. He was a Tomoeda soccer player and the incident happened a week before the championship of that season, the same season that Tomoeda became the champion. Her thoughts turned to Syaoran. In some way, she was worried about what she found out. If that happened to Shinji then what was the assurance that it wasn't going to happen to Syaoran?

"No way!" she murmured for the second time. She repeated the words over and over again in her mind even when she was already outside the library.

"History can't repeat itself… I won't let it!" she vowed to herself before running down the hallway then the stairs, clutching the newspaper clipping she had borrowed from the library.

Sakura was about to turn a corner when she bumped on someone. She steadied herself, flinching.

"Careful, Kinomoto." A familiar voice cautioned. She looked up and saw Archer, grinning wryly and rubbing his sore chest where her forehead hit.

"Kingsby! There's something I have to tell you." She announced in a rush. The heavy rain a while ago had dwindled. At Sakura's statement, Archer raised a brow in surprise.

"Are you really this reckless?" he was amused, "Didn't anyone tell you to be careful, that it's dangerous to be alone especially at night?" he delivered this speech with a touch of indifference though a slight trace of concern was evident.

Sakura didn't notice the concern in his tone because she just shrugged whatever he said away. She opened her mouth to talk but Archer interrupted her in the same indifferent tone, "You're lucky it was me you bumped into otherwise…" he let that statement hang, allowing Sakura to finish that in her mind.

"Look here, pal! I already have proof that our team didn't cheat." Sakura announced in triumph, ignoring Archer's words and showing him the news clipping. Archer raised a brow and as he snatched it from her. He scanned the contents with his eyes then returned it to her nonchalantly, disinterest in his expression.

"No comment?" she asked, looking at Archer's passive face. They started walking.

"What do you want me to say? 'Oh, how terrible.'" He said, saying the last sentence with a high-pitched voice. His sarcasm was audible.

"Well, for starters, I want you to apologize for accusing our team of cheating." Came Sakura's a matter-of-fact voice.

" 'Ey, 'ey, 'ey… It's just coincidence and besides, you have no proof that the persons responsible for that were from our school. I mean, anyone could have done it. His enemies, for example…" Archer told her in a reasonable tone although deep inside, he didn't believe his reasons.

"Coincidence?" Sakura made a face at that word although she was looking at the road.

"Impossible and besides, I did some researches on his conduct and it was clean – exemplary even and his only enemies are only those from your school who envied his skills." Sakura defended the guy as if the two of them were the best of pals.

"It's not nice to draw out conclusions without knowing all the facts…" Archer tried to warn her in a light tone. They had stopped walking because they were already infront of Sakura's house. At his light warning and stubbornness, Sakura's annoyance exploded.

She faced Archer, hands on her hips. She glared up at him, oblivious that her emerald eyes were blazing with life and that he was enjoying the sight.

"Listen here, Mister! Why are you being so stubborn? It's all here in this piece of paper!" she snapped, voice hard and strong. Archer ignored Sakura's words, not because he didn't believe the contents of the article but because he couldn't accept the fact that all he had believed were just lies, fashioned to manipulate them.

"I don't believe that trash and you. For all I know, you just created that to trick me and turn me against my school…" he put a lot of conviction in his words, a conviction that he didn't feel.

"If that is so, why did you stood by Kazuma?" she challenged, eyes flashing, not in fury but in desperation, because she knew it was a losing battle. She didn't really understand why she was even wasting her time trying to convince an enemy to see the truth.

"Because he might be my opponent but he did nothing wrong. I may be from the opposing team but that doesn't mean that I'll turn a blind eye once my schoolmates does something wrong." Came his calm and reasonable explanation.

"Fine, then!" she stormed, walking away in fury. Archer stopped her by grabbing her wrist and making her face him. He saw the fire of emotion in her eyes then confusion.

"Don't take it personally, Kinomoto… You're out of this… Only soccer players are included." He informed her, a smile starting to form on the corner of his lips. He meant the smile to ease her fury away and make her smile again but it just made all her expressions drop, a mask of indifference in place.

"Many innocent students had fallen victim to your schoolmates' schemes and you want me to stay out of it? I'll stay out of it if they'll stay out of it!" her tone was cold and icy.

"Li won't let you…" came his statement, growing amused at their banter.

"No one can stop me if I want to… Not you… not even Syao… I can be obstinate if I want to…" she yanked her wrist free and walked inside their house. Archer didn't dare stop her again because he realized that she was serious.

"Can I ever understand you, Sakura?" he sighed, thrusting his hands in his pockets and starting to trudge home – the exact opposite direction of Sakura's house.

"Damn!" Sakura cursed as she threw her exhausted body on her bed after removing her shoes.

"What had happened to me? Why was I so angry when he didn't believe me? He didn't even take me seriously." came her litany of words. She closed her eyes tight and let the minutes pass by without moving an inch. Suddenly she remembered something and abruptly opened her eyes. She reached for the phone on her bedside table and pressed the redial button.

"'Ello…?" came an annoyed voice.

"What did I disturb?" her cloudy attitude lifted as she heard his voice.

"Damn it, Sakura! You just made me miss the greatest part of the game!" she could sense him trying to reign in his temper.

"That's great! Now, do you still doubt my perfect timing?" she teased, smiling widely at his groan.

"Sakura?! I'll just call you later. Promise…" Syaoran bargained hurriedly.

"Uh-uh… I want to talk now." She answered in her childish voice.

"Please, Sakura. It's a matter of life and death." He almost pleaded which made her laugh out loud.

"Okay, Syao… Bye…" she finally agreed when her fits chuckles had already subsided.

"Great! Thanks! Bye, my Cherry Blossom." He said sweetly before the dial tone replaced his line.

"Finally! You called, Syao! I thought you've forgotten again. How was the game?" came her enthusiastic tone.

"Kinomoto Sakura?" the unfamiliar voice stopped her short.

"Who are you?" she completely forgot that what she did was rude.

"Archer…" came the simple reply.

"Oh."

Silence followed her surprise.

"So, what's up?" Sakura finally broke the eerie silence.

"Just wanted to check if you're still mad at me." Archer's careful and quiet voice was clear.

"I wasn't really mad at you. I was just pissed in general." She tried to explain her behavior that afternoon.

"Okay. I guess that's it… See you!"

"Hey, wait!" she tried to catch him before he cut his line.

"Uh… Yeah?"

"How'd you know my number?"

"That's my secret…" she could hear the smile in Archer's tone.

"What?"

"Anyway, got to go, Kinomoto. Mom's gonna use the phone. Bye."

"Okay…" she finally decided to stop insisting.

"Why didn't you call me back?" came Sakura's annoyance when they met in the school grounds early that morning.

"Was I supposed to call you last night?" came Syaoran's innocent inquiry, scratching his head thoughtfully.

"I have no idea. Were you?" Sakura snapped sarcastically, walking with a purposeful stride towards the stairs that lead to their Homeroom, leaving the guy behind.

"'Ey, wait up!" Syaoran called, running to catch up with her.

"I was too exhausted last night after watching the game and I fell asleep." He explained to her, turning on his charm.

"Typical." Sakura muttered with annoyance, masking the disappointment she was feeling, not because Syaoran forgot to call her but because he didn't apologize and never admitted his mistake, which was his usual. He only explained… that's all.

"You aren't mad, right?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I'm not." She answered softly. ~ Not really… I'm just a bit disappointed…~ came her thoughts.

"Thanks! You're the best!" he praised, smiling widely and sighing in relief inwardly.

"I'll see you later! I still have to drop by the field!" then he was gone.

"Just pray that I won't get fed up with this situation, Syao… I'm close to the edge already and I can't make this relationship work by myself. I really need your help and cooperation." This statement was full of sadness and regret.


	8. Chapter 8

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: guys, reviews please… hope you're all liking this so far… ^^**

**Chapter 8**

"Is something bothering you, Arch…?" came his seatmate's inquiry.

"Eh..?" his reverie was interrupted so he looked at the person who inquired.

"You seem to be deep in thought. Is there something wrong? You know you can confide in me…" she told him good-naturedly.

Archer looked at Cherry's open and understanding expression. Cherry was his closest friend as well as neighbor since they were in diapers and they had seen many problems and solved it together. He knew he could trust her but he was hesitant. He didn't want her to be involved. She was too fragile for that, too innocent and he had been protecting her naïveté for years and he wasn't going to start breaking his promise now. Many people say that she was too good to be true and he agreed with them that's why he made it his mission to be her shield against the cruelty of the real world. She was the sister he never had, that's what he had always thought.

"It's nothing, Cher." He tried to reassure her with a forced smile. He knew that she did not believe him but she just nodded in total understanding but he could see the worry and concern in her ice-blue orbs which made him guilty.

Dismissal time came and Sakura hurriedly packed her things into her bag, getting ready to leave. The soccer team had a practice so she'll be going home alone without Syaoran knowing it. She went down, crossed the huge grounds and headed towards the school gate but was taken by surprise when he saw Archer waiting, standing just outside the gate.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded sharply. Instead of answering, he held his hand out, a clean handkerchief sitting on his palm. She recognized that it was hers.

"I'm here to return this." He stated simply. She stared at him, totally incredulous.

"You entered the lions' den just to return this?!" her surprise was crystal clear.

Archer grinned at her expression which Sakura noticed. She was at a loss on what to do so she just grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the school, inorder to avoid anyone seeing him and making a fuss.

Syaoran watched as Sakura dragged his worst enemy away from the school. He hated what he was seeing. He wanted to punch the daylights out of the guy as well as grab Sakura, shake her hard and demand for an explanation. He didn't want to believe that Sakura can betray him, no way, she was loyal to him, he was sure of that, that's why most often than not, he takes advantage of her loyalty, manipulating her. This should make him guilty and it does but he was already used to feeling guilty whenever he manipulated her that he had learned to live with it.

Should he demand an explanation or should he believe what he was seeing himself..? Could Sakura really betray him for that guy? No way!

The idea of another guy stealing Sakura's loyalty from him irked. He hated it, especially because that someone is Archer. Of all people, why Archer? His mind seemed to scream.

He clenched his hands tight to stop himself from going after the two and releasing all of his pent up violence on Archer.

"Damn you, Sakura. How could you choose him over me..?" he muttered silently, brown eyes turning a shade darker.

"I won't forgive you. I'll make you pay."

Sunday night…

Sakura was restless because she hadn't heard from Syaoran since Friday night. She debated on whether she should call or not but her worry over what had happened to him won and she dialed Syaoran's number.

"Good evening. This is Wei. How may I help you?" came Wei's friendly voice.

"Hi, Mr. Wei. Is Syaoran there? Can I speak to him?" came Sakura's inquiry, her concern clear in her voice.

"Wait a moment, little miss. I'll check if master is already in." silence followed that statement.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sakura but he isn't home yet. I think he said something about going somewhere with the team." Wei's tone was apologizing.

"Oh… Okay. I understand. Thanks, Mr. Wei. Can you please tell him I called?"

"Sure, Miss."

"Thanks!"

"Master Syaoran… Miss Sakura asked me to tell you that she called." Came Wei's ironic statement as he placed the phone down and turned to Syaoran who was sitting on the couch, surfing the TV.

"Whatever." Wei could detect the coldness in his voice and was surprised. It was the first time that Syaoran had used such tone in connection with Sakura. Usually, when talking about Sakura, he was happy and light-hearted.

What could have happened to bring this change..? he wondered to himself.

He bowed properly and was about to leave when he heard his master's angry mutter.

"I hate her. Traitor."

This surprised Wei because the long time that he'd known Sakura, he could never say that she has the tendency to become what his master had said. It was so obvious even to a blind man how attached Sakura was to Syaoran and how she loves him so much. There's no way that could be true.

"How dare she get friendly with that Asshole Archer… Darn it!" this was followed by a loud thud as he threw the remote control on the floor hard and marched out of the living room towards the stairs into his room.

"I don't want to be disturbed." He gave the order without a backward glance.

Wei finally understood what was happening. It wasn't that Sakura was a traitor but because he didn't like what he was feeling upon knowing that she had other guy friends except him and their school mates.

"About time you took notice of that silent voice, Master Syao." He said quietly before returning to the kitchen.

Monday morning…

Sakura was sitting on her chair, talking to her seatmate when she spotted Syaoran walking in with some guy friends. She excused herself and approached him.

"'Ey… Where were you the whole weekend? It seemed that you dropped off the face of the Earth 'cause I haven't heard anything from you…" Sakura inquired in a light tone, trying to mask her concern and trying to act nonchalant.

To her surprise, he just left her standing there and walked towards one of this team mates, acting as if he hadn't heard anything. She watched him talk freely to that team mate without a backward glance at her.

~ What the hell happened? Was I just ignored? ~ came her stunned thoughts, unable to believe it.

Dismissal time came and before anyone could leave the room after their teacher left, Syaoran requested for his classmates' attention.

"Guys and girls. I have a very shocking news to impart to all of you." He started when everyone had quieted down and took their seats again.

"I just found out that there is a traitor in our midst…" he continued, his lips pulled into a wry and mocking grin. Confused inquiries rose from everyone.

"Traitor, Syao…? Can you define that word, please?" came Sakura's unmistakable level, unemotional voice. She already had an inkling on what Syaoran was talking about. They've been together for years and somehow, she can take a very good guess on what's running on his mind.

"Traitor… you define it, Miss Kinomoto." He mocked, brown eyes boring into hers, challenging her intentionally. Sakura didn't take the bait. She just raised her brows then shrugged, wordlessly saying that she didn't know its meaning.

"Then… let me tell you… a traitor is someone who betrays his or her country, a cause or his or her friends… Do you get it now? Or do you want me to define what betray means..?" he cruelly mocked, angry eyes never leaving Sakura's impassive face.

"Please enlighten me… what does the word betray means..?" her controlled voice made everyone uneasy. Sakura was never controlled. She had always been spontaneous and expressive but the girl standing in the middle of the classroom, facing the obviously pissed and angry Syaoran was the normal Sakura's complete opposite. They have never fully seen her like this, only glimpses. They had never seen Sakura in a temper before this.

"There are lots of meanings, Kinomoto… but there's one that totally fits…it's a verb by the way… and it means… to help the** enemy**. Ring any bells…?" he tried to control an outburst. Darn it! Sakura really knows how to piss him off when she wants to. She knew him too much.

"I hear no bells ringing, Li. And besides, I only help my friends… which I now realized that one of those so called friends is not really my friend. How stupid could I be for believing that that person was worthy of my trust." She was sarcastic now and her smile a wry and mocking one.

"Don't you dare turn the tables, Kinomoto. You're the traitor here." He spat out through clenched teeth.

"I don't help the enemy, Li, which was your definition of betraying…" she intellectualized, looking at him like he was a kid who doesn't understand.

"You aren't helping, Archer, then? Are you trying to make me stupid…? I saw you two talking, being friendly and cozy…"

"You said it, Li. Being friendly…so that means, he's my friend, not my enemy and as for helping… that remains to be seen… what kind of help am I giving him, can you please enlighten this webby mind of mine..?" she suggested.

"Darn you!" he cursed and she knew she won.

"Whatever. I don't need to waste my time listening to such nonsense. Think what you like people, this is a free country… and besides, I don't want to explain when I know that one person's mind is already made up…" she announced, looking at Syaoran pointedly when she said the last sentence. She immediately picked up her bag and walked out of the room gracefully, chin held high.

"What was that all about, Syao..?" came Tomoyo's silent inquiry.

"She's a traitor and no one can convince me otherwise 'cause I saw it with my own two eyes." He announced, looking at every one of his classmates' stunned face.

"That's not true…" Tomoyo tried to defend her friend.

"I don't want any one of you talking to traitors like her, understand? Anyone seen socializing with her will all be labeled traitors." He ignored Tomoyo.

"Sakura's right. You've already closed your mind. Fine, then. Believe what you want. I won't waste my breath correcting such things. Besides, you've never been worthy of her friendship. It had all been one-sided…" and she started to follow Sakura's steps.

"You stay away from her if you want to remain in my good side." Syaoran threatened.

"I don't really care about you, Li. There are only two people I care in this room and the other one just walked out of here and the other one is definitely not you." Then she walked out.

Silence followed Tomoyo's leaving.

"Soccer players are not allowed to talk to any of them, understand? Anyone found speaking with them will be kicked out of the team and that's final." He announced, eyeing the various expressions of his team members, from incredulity to disbelief.

He heard a chair scrape and turned to the source of the sound. He saw Eriol stand up.

"I always knew you were unreasonable but I didn't realize its depth…" he started quietly, penetrating eyes locking Syaoran's, "And if that's your decision… then I quit. I won't sever my friendship just because of an unfounded suspicion and mostly misplaced emotions…"

"But, Eriol…" Yamazaki was the first one to protest.

"Save your breath, Yamazaki." Syaoran snapped, withdrawing his eyes from Eriol's.. "He had already decided… Anyone who wants to follow his lead is free to do so…"

"Damn it, Syao! What's wrong with you..?" came Yamazaki's outrage which fell on deaf ears.

Sakura was angry and mad. She totally hates herself at the moment. She shouldn't cry. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help it. Damn it! Tomoyo was right. Syaoran was a jerk and jerks don't deserve anybody's tears but it hurts… It hurts that he was ready to believe the worst of her when in fact he should be the first one to give her the credit of a doubt… She wiped away the tears that escaped her tight reins angrily.

"Stop crying!" she berated herself, repeating that mantra over and over again but the tears just kept falling.

She was hurriedly crossing the now deserted grounds, her eyes on the ground to hide her puffy eyes as well as the tears.

She was out of the gate when suddenly, someone grabbed her arm which made her look up in surprise. She stared up into amazingly striking green eyes which changed from smiling to confusion.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying..?"

Sakura immediately wiped away the stray tears and tried to hide an incoming sob.

"I'm not." She denied as she turned her back on him.

She heard him sigh.

"You really are a contradiction, Sakura. One time you're so east to read but other times, your face reveals nothing…" he stated, making her look at him and wiping the escaped tears. His sweet gesture broke her defenses and she cried openly. Luckily, there were no more students so the episode went unnoticed.

Through her sobs, she explained what happened.

"Jerk." Was all Archer's comment.

"I know." She replied as she calmed down a bit, "Sorry about the outburst…"

Archer just smiled at her, "You know he's a jerk and everything but despite that, you still love him, don't you, Sakura..?"

"Not anymore, Archer… Not anymore." Came her bitter announcement as dried her tears and steeled her resolve.


	9. Chapter 9

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: guys, thanks for all the reviews from the last chapter..hope you'll like this as much… this is for all of you…reviews please… ^^**

**Chapter 9**

"Darn it! What's wrong with you, people? Concentrate!" Syaoran ordered angrily, hands clenched tightly. It was already a couple of days before the championship and they were practicing on the field that cloudy afternoon. His team mates grumbled quietly because it seemed as if Syaoran couldn't be satisfied with their performances no matter how hard they'd tried and in addition, he'd been in a foul mood for the past days.

"Calm down, Li… Your performance was already great even without Eriol on the team." Their coach assured him, patting his back to assuage his temper.

"Okay, guys! Practice is over… You may go home now…" the coach added, turning to the weary players. They packed their things except for Syaoran who marched back on the field to practice alone.

Syaoran dropped his back on the soft grass, exhausted. He had been kicking the ball to the net for the past hour, releasing all his frustrations on the ball. He was already covered with sweat, his hair damp.

"Damn!" he muttered wearily as he sat up in a lotus position, elbows propped on his thigh and palms covering his face. Unbidden flashes rose in his mind. Archer waiting for Sakura outside the school, Archer accompanying Sakura to her house, Sakura laughing at something Archer had said.

"Damn you, Archer!" he hissed, trying to shake the thoughts away but to no avail 'cause it kept on tormenting him.

"I miss you, Sakura." He finally accepted this fact, "I miss you so damned much."

--

"Are you going to the game tomorrow, guys?" came Chiharu's inquiry as they settled infront of a rectangular table after grabbing some extra chairs in the cafeteria that lunch time.

"You know we're not allowed there. We were banned from it, remember?" Tomoyo deliberately raised her sarcastic tone of voice so that the nearby table that the soccer players were occupying could hear.

"So what?" came Sakura's dry tone as she opened her lunch box and took out the utensils from her bag casually.

"Itadakimasu!" they chorused.

"You mean, you're going there?" came Rika's incredulous tone a while later.

"Yep!" Sakura shrugged in disinterest, unconsciously twirling her fork and playing with her pasta. Her mind was somewhere.

"Anyway, I'm going there because Archer invited me, want to come?" Sakura invited, looking at her friends' stunned expressions. She raised her brows as if to ask, "What?"

"You and Archer are dating?!" Chiharu shrieked out her surprise, making the other students look their way, even the soccer team was no exception. Sakura caught a glimpse of Syaoran and was surprised when she saw his stormy brown eyes holding hers in challenge.

She ignored him and turned her gaze back to her friends and gave them a dry smile.

"Of course not. He only invited me because he wants to celebrate after the game, win or lose." She shrugged her explanation.

"You're too naïve, Sakura! Of course that's a date!" Rika tried to minimize her gushing and giggles.

"No, it's not." And that was the end of it.

--

Syaoran's mind was a jumble. He was already cursing inwardly because he heard their conversation. The moment he heard Chiharu's exclamation, there was a ringing in his ears and he was seeing red. He wanted to murder Archer and throttle Sakura for being friendly with his sworn rival. He was unaware that he had gripped his pencil and that he had snapped it in half until…

"Calm down, Syao. It won't solve anything if you're going to give in to your temper." Yamazaki's kind words cut through his messy brain. He looked up at his friends' earnest and sincere expressions then down at the broken pencil.

"Damn!" he hissed quietly as he threw the broken pencil on the nearest waste basket.


	10. Chapter 10

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: reviews… reviews… reviews… please? This is for all of you… Hope you'll all like this… ^^**

**Chapter 10**

The bleachers were packed with people as they watched the intense game on the field.

"He scores! Li added another point to their score! Tomoeda on the lead!" the announcer's voice boomed over the noise, his tone excited.

The Tomoeda supporters went wild as they chanted Syaoran's name.

Syaoran looked at the chanting crowd from his position, near the bleachers. He was scanning the crowd for a certain emerald-eyed girl and he saw her with her friends seated nearest the field. His heart skipped a beat as he gazed at her radiating face, forgetting that her sweet smile wasn't for him. He saw Archer jogging to Sakura's direction and saluting them before going back to his team. Syaoran could read what Sakura had mouthed to his rival, a good luck. He frowned heavily and that's when their eyes met. He replaced his frown with a mocking grin, willing her to look away but to his disappointment, she just stared back at him issuing the same challenge.

"'Ey, Li! Great job! You keep that up and we'll surely bring home the bacon." His coach's slap on his back returned him to reality. He sighed in relief. One moment there, he was drowned by Sakura's emerald irises and penetrating gaze.

He turned to his coach and forced a wide smile which didn't reach his eyes and heart. His coach noticed it but didn't comment.

"You bet we will!" he announced confidently.

--

The ball had just been passed to Syaoran from Yamazaki and Archer immediately went to him to guard. Archer tried to steal the ball but he maneuvered it out of his reach expertly but Archer was persistent so he presented his back to him and nudged hard.

"Hey, what's with the attitude?" came Archer's complaint as they ran side-by-side across and as he, Syaoran, kicked the ball and passed it to a team mate.

"Buzz off!" Syaoran hissed, his anger almost reaching its limit.

He jogged and followed Ren who was in possession of the ball but still Archer tailed him.

"What's pissing you off?" Archer's inquiry was so innocent that it made him break his tight rein on his anger. He stopped running and faced the green eyed guy who also stopped running.

"You! Your mere presence is what's pissing me off!" Syaoran spat out, brown eyes dangerous. Archer just arched a brow in confusion then it was replaced with a look of understanding when he realized what Syaoran really meant.

"Aaah… Sakura…" Archer's tone was laced with a bit of mockery at Syaoran and this really made him erupt in fury. He punched the daylights out of Archer.

--

"Why did you do that?" his coach demanded in a strained voice. They were inside the locker room and it was half time. Syaoran was sitting on the bench which was at the center of the room, surrounded by his team mates. His elbows were propped on his thighs, palms covering his face in frustration.

"He was provoking me…" he snapped, looking up sharply at the others, brown eyes flashing in anger. Everyone saw it and any dumb person could have felt the tension surrounding Syaoran.

"But look where it got you…" their coach reminded him calmly, "you're benched."

"I know that! Couldn't you ask the referee to reconsider?" he said it with desperation.

The coach shook his head dejectedly, "I can't and if I can, I won't… It's better if you stay here and try to cool off your hot head." He informed the guy.

"But, coach! The game!" Syaoran was worried.

"Don't worry, Syao… Our lead is enough to win us the championship." Yamazaki assured him, trying to hide his annoyance at Syaoran's distrust on their abilities.

"Don't get too complacent, Yamazaki!" Syaoran bit out, his flashing eyes taking another notch of sharpness.

"Syao, trust us… We can pull it off without you." Ren followed gently and carefully, gauging his chances with him. Syaoran snapped to his direction with a heavy frown.

"Ren's right, Syao… You've contributed a lot already. Now, let us have our chance." Kazuma's little voice was full of conviction. Everyone, especially the coach, turned to Kazuma in surprise. Their surprise was understandable because it was the first time that the always quiet first year prodigy had spoken out loud without them forcing him to. Kazuma just shrugged shyly.

"But still!" Syaoran was the first to recover, "I won't worry this much if Eriol's around but damn him for quitting during a complicated game like this." He cursed silently but everyone heard it. They shifted nervously because that certain topic was a sensitive one.

"Stop worrying, Li. Trust your team mates once in a while." Their coach told him. Syaoran looked at his team mates in doubt. Their faces were full of determination so he sighed and nodded.

"Coach…" a familiar quiet voice came from the door. They turned and who they saw made them cheer in relief. The game was theirs.

--

Sakura had been leaning on the wall beside the locker room door, her soft lips in a frown and her emerald eyes angry. Her long tresses were in a half ponytail, held by a fairy clip, the same clip that Syaoran had given her last Christmas. Her hair was clipped quite loosely, allowing tendrils to caress her cheeks. She was deep in thought until the door opened and out came the players and the coach. When they saw her, they nodded in acknowledgment and Kazuma gave her a timid but reassuring smile. When her gaze landed on Yamazaki, she saw the question in his brown eyes even before he could voice out his question.

"I have a bone to pick with him." She answered his silent question. This brought a wry smile on his lips.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Came Keith's cautious comment, fidgeting nervously. Sakura's sharp gaze landed on him and he flinched inwardly, shrugging at her to express his surrender.

"I agree with Keith… Syao is really pissed…" Yu agreed quietly, rubbing his forehead thoughtfully.

"I don't care… If he's pissed… I'm doubly pissed…" she announced, her tone and voice dared anyone to disagree but no one dared to because of the dangerous look in her eyes. Syaoran might be dangerous when he's annoyed but Sakura was worst. She had no temper really but now, she had developed one and they had this feeling that if it erupted, Syaoran's temper could not match it.

"Go on, Sakura. Talk some sense into that guy." Came Eriol's calm and encouraging voice. She looked up at his serious face and allowed a smile.

"Sorry if I took out my anger at you, guys…" she apologized, looking at each of them apologetically. They nodded and smiled in acceptance.

"Go, Tomoeda!" she called when they started walking down the hallway.

"Thanks!" she heard Yamazaki's chuckle due to her quick change of mood.

--

Syaoran was still sitting on the bench, staring moodily at the marble floor.

~Damn him anyway…and damn Sakura for doing this to me~ he cursed inwardly, his hands clenching unconsciously.

It was a moment before he realized that he had company.

"Forgot something, Yamazaki?" he snapped out the words, turning at the newcomer. He was unable to continue when he realized his mistake. He just stared at her dumbly, taken aback at her unusual beauty. Why was he thinking such things, he never did before. He shook himself mentally. But still, he gazed at her, noting the tendrils caressing her flushed cheeks. He skimmed her face as if memorizing every detail of it until his gaze landed on her blazing, emeald eyes. That was what brought him back to reality. He abruptly moved his eyes from her, turned his back on her.

"What are you doing here?" his voice was hard, not hiding the annoyance that he was feeling. A minute elapsed before he got an answer from her.

"Don't act so dumb! You know why I'm here…" came her cool and icy reply. Silence followed. Syaoran stood up casually, went to where his bag was and pulled out a towel. He wiped his face with it and dried his damp hair, ignoring her.

"You didn't rein in your temper!" she accused when she realized that he wasn't going to talk. Syaoran smiled at her outburst but she couldn't see it because his back was still on her. He knew that her patience was about to snap and he'd always liked it when it happens, that's why he'd always tested her patience.

"I didn't regret it. You can't begin to comprehend the satisfaction I felt when my fist connected with his face." His answer was smug and cool.

"You're the one at fault…" her announcement made his hands clench. He hated her loyalty at the moment because it wasn't for him.

"I had always hated your loyalty." He unconsciously revealed his pain.

"Yeah… You always did." There was quiet mockery in her answer because they both knew it wasn't the case. He was starting to dislike the flow of their conversation because if it'll go on, he might be able to reveal more than what he was willing to share.

"Get out, Kinomoto…" he decided to end the conversation before it turned to his disadvantage. He didn't dare face her because he was sure that she could read the pain in his traitorous eyes.

"You don't belong here…" he added quietly, her silence giving him pain, as if a knife was piercing his already bruised heart. He tried to will away the pain but he failed because it was as if it has a will of its own.

"I don't need you here…" he spoke these words icily inorder to mask his pain. He occupied his hands by digging something in his bag – something that wasn't there.

"Maybe you're right…" her voice was achingly calm but obviously sad and regretful, "Maybe you don't need me… maybe… you never did need me… maybe… I was just deluding myself into thinking that you needed me…" her words drove the knife deeper into his heart until he couldn't seem to bear the pain. Her sad and dejected voice made him want to take back what he'd said but he steeled himself.

"Finally… I know where I stand… Now I know what I'll do… Thank you for enlightening me at last… I owe it all to you…" her voice was only a murmur but its impact was like a typhoon.

"Farewell, Syao." He heard the door shut close and felt as if something vital had been taken away from him. He punched the bench hard, cursing angrily.

--

Sakura was horrified at the tears that fell uncontrollably from her eyes. She wiped it away angrily while walking down the hallway briskly. She thought that her heart was already numb and caged with ice but Syaoran's harsh words had managed to penetrate through her well-guarded heart. Her tears kept on coming until her vision became blurry.

"Damn you, Syao." She dashed inside the ladies' room before anyone could see her situation. She went inside one of the empty stalls and sat on the closed bowl and gave her tears freedom to do as they will. It was the first time in her seventeen years that she'd cried over a guy because she had thought it to be silly and a waste of time. She didn't even shed a tear when her first ever "love" had gotten himself a fiancé. Although it was painful, it wasn't that painful that she needed to let it all out through her tears. She just laughed at it and moved on.

But, in this particular case, it's different. She couldn't comprehend why. Syaoran was the only guy who succeeded in making her cry. And she didn't like it one bit.

"I hate you, Syao… but damn…! How come I love you still…?

--

"What the hell…" Yamazaki's sentence was cut off when he saw Syaoran in one of the shower stalls, sitting on the marble floor as the shower continued raining him with water. He was still in his jersey uniform which was already damp. His elbows were propped on his bent knees, arms hanging freely between his legs. His head was ducked low. The water on the floor had a mixture of blood from Syaoran's bleeding knuckles.

"What happened…?" came his team mate's inquiry. They went to him and stared at the surprising scene infront of them.

"Syao..?" Yamazaki's tone was low and cautious.

"She's gone…" his words were almost inaudible because if the noise the water was making.

Yamazaki exchanged looks with Keith who was beside him. He noticed Eriol, leaning casually on the wall, separating the stalls, arms crossed. He was shaking his head in regret but he wasn't looking at the pitiful sight because his gaze was on the opposite wall.

"She just stepped out of my life…" he continued his murmur. One of the guys turned off the shower.

"I don't want her to… I want her back… Damn it… I love her…" his unconscious admission brought a quiet smile on everyone's lips except Eriol's.

Then, Syaoran slowly looked up at his team, his gray eyes wide at the realization.

"I… love her…?" he couldn't seem to believe it yet.

"Glad you've caught up with us…" came Eriol's announcement as he glanced at Syaoran casually and mockingly.


	11. Chapter 11

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: thanks for all the reviews, guys.. here's the next chapter… I know it's short but please bear with me… chapter 12 is the last one, by the way so I hope you won't all get disappointed on how it all ends...^^**

**Chapter 11**

"Sakura! I've been looking all over for you…" Sakura heard Archer's familiar voice when she went out of the school building.

"Damn!" she cursed silently. She deliberately avoided people because her eyes were still puffy from too much crying. She had tactically decided to hide until the crowd had dispersed and thought it was the best idea but she hadn't counted on the fact that Archer might be waiting.

Archer was nearing her place, "Um… I've forgotten that I had something to do first. I got to go!" she reasoned out hastily but before she could escape, Archer had gripped her wrist and had dragged her around.

"You're crying…" came his concern as their eyes locked.

"Were." She corrected unnecessarily.

"It's all the same… You cried… Why?" came his string of questions, not letting go of his hold on her lest she'll run away. She broke from his intense gaze and looked away but he reached for her chin and made her look back.

"Li." He spat out the word in disgust, correctly guessing the reason behind her tears. She didn't confirm nor deny it. She just bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering because she was close to tears again.

"Why, Sakura? Why do you still love him despite the fact that he'd hurt you for the nth time already and he never apologized for it?" he asked her, forest green eyes filled with confusion.

She shook her head, as confused as he and didn't answer because she didn't have any.

"Why not love me instead, Sakura?" he finally revealed. His revelation made Sakura look up at him with wide, astonished eyes. Archer smiled wryly, "Yes, Sakura. I think I like you." The unspoken words were quite clear.

Sakura had no response. For the first time in her life, she was speechless.

"You're cute." He commented, looking at her stunned expression fondly and caressing her cheek.

--

Syaoran watched from afar as the intimate scene unfolded. He had clenched his bandaged hand inorder to contain his struggling temper because he knew it wouldn't be to his advantage.

~Calm down, Li. Hold back your temper… You already have too many mistakes that it's damn near impossible for Sakura to ever forgive you.~ he reasoned to himself. His tensed body relaxed but he could feel something painful as he saw his caress the cheek of the girl he's considered his.


	12. Chapter 12

**Taken For Granted**

**A/N: last chapter!!!!! ^^**

**Chapter 12**

"We don't have any classes!" Yu was enthusiastic as he and Syaoran trudged down the corridor to their lockers.

"Why?" Syaoran was unable to attend the assembly in the auditorium because he was late. They arrived infront of their lockers which were side by side.

"Because we'll have a celebration the whole day! Have you seen the gym? A catering service was there." Yu was so excited as he opened his locker.

"All these just because we won the championship?" Syaoran asked in amusement, a hand on his dial.

"Nope! Not just our victory over the game but because finally the 2 schools had made up. I even heard some rumors that the Benson soccer team is invited." Yu explained to the clueless Syaoran.

"Made up? I didn't know that…" he completely forgot about his locker, focusing his concentration on Yu's words.

"Well… when the game ended…after we've won… Eriol gathered us and told us his favor and we all agreed. We marched together to Archer's team, Eriol on the lead. He stretched an arm, hands open… We thought Archer wasn't going to accept it but he did… End of story." Yu shrugged.

"So, everything's going well…" Syaoran murmured quietly, turning his dial on his locker's password absently.

"Yeah…everything's well… except for you and Sakura." Came Yu's bold statement as he pulled out his things.

"Nothing's going to be the same with Sakura and me…" Syaoran murmured absently again as he opened his locker.

"You love her." Yu reminded him.

"Yes… So? It won't matter because she hates me." This statement was full of sadness and misery. The smile on his lips was one filled with emptiness. He looked inside his locker and froze at what he saw. Sitting there on the middle surface was the silver fairy clip that he'd given Sakura. The fairy atop the clip had many uses – it can even be used as a pendant. That fairy was sort of a family heirloom on his mother's side but Sakura didn't know that. He didn't tell her because he was sure that she wouldn't accept it and because he wanted her to have it, he kept his silence. He never understood why he wanted her to have it – till now.

He stared at it dumbly until the full meaning of the action hit him. It left him staggering mentally.

"Damn!" he cursed silently, picking it up and enclosing it inside his hand. He slammed his locker shut and marched purposely to his class room, trying to contain his temper.

He saw her talking to Tomoyo and so he went there.

"How could you do this?!" he hissed, slamming his palm, the one containing the silver fairy on her desk, infront of her. Sakura looked at the silver fairy as it gave off dazzling hues when the sun's rays got into contact with it. Then, she looked up at Syaoran's brown eyes. Syaoran's hands were on the surface of her desk and he was leaning down, so she could clearly see the hurt in his stormy brown eyes – to her absolute surprise.

~That's silly. He can't be hurt by such simple act…~ she thought.

"I'm returning it to you. I have no right to keep it." Came her shrugged reply, looking away from his hypnotizing gaze.

"Damn!" I gave it to you so you have all the right to keep it.' He hissed, reaching for her chin and making her look at him in the eyes. She struggled but just gave in when she realized she was in a losing end.

"I don't want it." She informed him, her voice nonchalant.

"It doesn't matter… I didn't ask you to give it back… and I never will. Keep it… throw it or burn it… anything you want… but never return it to me." He said quietly, almost sadly before leaving her stunned.

"Sakura?" It was Yamazaki who said her name. She looked up at him.

"Keep it… Don't throw it away or burn it to ashes… It might be what he'd said but it wasn't what he wanted you to do… He wants you to keep it… to have it… You may not know it, Sakura, but that silver fairy is their family heirloom…"

--

"Hey. How are you?" came a voice from behind her that afternoon. She turned and saw Archer, smiling good-naturedly. They were standing on the center of the grounds, students passing them.

"Fine." She shrugged, giving him a tight smile. Archer took a couple of steps forward until they were already a foot apart.

"Honestly?" he inquired, his face growing serious.

"Everything's fine, Archer… What's gotten into you?" Sakura tried to hide her nervousness by answering with a playful tone.

"I saw Li… He was miserable." He stated simply, not removing his gaze from her.

"He isn't." she countered blandly, masking her real emotions.

"He is, I assure you…He was quiet and distracted the whole day…" he informed her, neglecting to mention that Yamazaki had told him what had happened after the game and just that morning.

Sakura was spared of answering because and an urgent voice had called Archer. They turned to the newcomer's direction and Sakura saw a guy, the Benson goalie, running to them with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?" Archer demanded from him when he had already caught his breath.

"It's Cherry –" he was unable to finish,

"What?!" Archer boomed urgently. Sakura was taken aback at Archer's panic-stricken expression.

~Who could this Cherry be?~ she thought curiously as he watched Archer's reaction.

"She was rushed to the hospital just this afternoon because she collapsed and they couldn't seem to rouse her." Came the rushed explanation.

"Damn!" Archer hissed the curse, running his fingers through his blonde hair in agitation. Then, he turned to Sakura, his green eyes troubled and obviously worried, "Sakura? Will you be okay here? I've got to rush."

"It's okay… go on…" she gave him a reassuring smile. Archer nodded then he and his friend jogged away. She watched him with a gentle smile on his lips. \

"Cherry…" she murmured the name, "How lucky you are of Archer… He cares a great deal about you…"

"Unlike me…" a familiar voice from behind her finished. She stiffened at the voice and tried to swallow – a hard task. She turned around and saw him with a surprisingly penitent expression. His brown eyes were holding hers and she riveted her gaze. She was about to leave but he had grabbed her wrist.

"We need to talk." Came Syaoran's announcement, his hand still holding her wrist, for fear of her escape.

"I don't want to talk to you." She announced stubbornly, struggling to free her wrist.

"Please, Sakura." Came his gentle voice. At this, Sakura looked up in surprise. She saw his desperate and beseeching brown eyes and it reached into her being, melting her steel resolve, "We need to settle this once and for all." He added quietly. She sighed.

"Fine! Just let go of me." She commanded haughtily.

"I will… if you promise not to run away once I'll release you." He agreed, stating his condition.

"Sure." She shrugged nonchalantly but Syaoran, nonetheless, hesitated.

Syaoran sighed in frustration, "Li, you have my word, okay?"

Syaoran slowly and carefully released her. There was silence. Sakura had crossed her arms on her chest, waiting for him to talk.

"I know it's my fault…" his quiet admission made her arch a brow in mockery.

"I beg your pardon?" she pretended as though she didn't understand him.

"I started this by doubting you…accusing you… just because I was scared to lose you…of being hurt by you. That's why I pushed you away before you could betray me… not realizing that by pushing you away, I've set a course full of regret and misery…" she could see that voicing out his explanation had taken a lot of his courage and it was obvious that he was uncomfortable because it was the first time in his entire life that he'd explained himself. He had no practice humbling himself – no experience at all.

"But…?" Sakura prompted, masking her surprise with sarcasm. She knew him very much and was sure that he would justify his actions. Syaoran shook his head slowly, not taking his eyes off hers.

"I have many excuses for my actions, Sakura… excuses that don't matter…" he surprised her with this statement and she was unable to hide it. Syaoran smiled emptily when he saw her surprise.

"I know that the things I've done are unforgivable and I can't blame you if you'll not forgive me… but know this…" he paused, noticing that Sakura had managed to mask her emotions yet again, then continued, "I'm sorry…" in almost a whisper.

Sakura openly stared at Syaoran, not quiet believing her ears. But, she realized what was happening were all true. Syaoran was really sincere. His achingly quiet tone and honest brown eyes were enough proofs and besides, he was looking penitent and guilty for the first time since they'd known each other. And she cursed herself when she noticed unnecessary things like how cute he looked with such an expression. She was suddenly pulled out of her reverie when he turned and started walking away quietly.

"'Ey, Syao…?" she couldn't seem to keep herself from calling him with her usual vigor and cheerfulness – the coldness and indifference gone.

She watched as he stopped walking and as he slowly and hesitantly faced her, a mixture of hope and fear in his gray eyes – hope that he'll be forgiven and fear that his hope would be shattered into pieces.

A moment of silence elapsed as the sun started setting and as the late afternoon zephyr passed between them…

"Walk me home…?" Sakura finally spoke quietly, a ghost of a smile on her soft, red lips and a spirit of mischief dancing in her emerald eyes. At her statement, Syaoran's weary expression lit up and his lips quirked up into a boyish grin which never failed to make Sakura's heart flutter.

~Welcome back… Syao…~ she thought when she saw the usual mischief dancing in his eyes.

**End**

**A/N : How was it, guys..? hope you weren't disappointed… Feedbacks please so that I'll know how the whole story was from your perspectives… ^^ **


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